Ham-mance
by Pokemon Ranger-Trainer
Summary: This story includes a small confection of Hamtaro couples. With our furry friends' hilariously chaotic antics and a whole lot of love, what do we have in store? Includes Dexter with Pashmina, Maxwell with Sandy, Bijou with Hamtaro, mechanical bull incidents, a falling branch, a whole lot of love, et cetera.
1. Bull

**I do not own Hamtaro. Man, I loved that show when I was little! This story will include a lot of romance among the Ham-Hams with a small variety of couples, rather than being centered on just one couple. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Bull**

Dexter entered the clubhouse to find it nearly empty. The only Hams there were himself, Snoozer, and Penelope. When he saw Penelope, he could not help but tilt his head as the young hamster was surrounded by heaving piles of pink yarn. He asked, "What do we have here, Penelope?"

"Ookwee…" Penelope sighed. Her paws were tangled in the pink yarn. She flailed her little arms. At first, Dexter thought she was stuck. Then, he realized something.

"You're attempting to weave something, aren't you?" he interrogated. Penelope nodded.

"Ookwee, ookwee, ookwee," she explained in her baby hamster language.

"I see. You're saying you want to make a scarf for Pashmina?" Dexter accurately deciphered what Penelope had said. He sat down in front of her, not even thinking about his crush on Pashmina. At that moment, all he thought about w as helping Penelope with her nice gesture. "Here, let me help you."

"Ookyu?" Penelope's eyes lit up.

"Of course I mean it. I hate watching you struggle when I know I can assist," Dexter smiled at the young hamster. Together, they started weaving with the yarn. As they weaved, Dexter promised, "Later, we can embroider her name in it."

"Ookwee!" Penelope let out a delighted squeal.

They were about halfway done when Hamtaro opened the door and entered the clubhouse. He greeted, "Hey, guys! What's going on?"

"I was helping Penelope make a scarf," Dexter explained. "Penelope, would you like to make her a card, too?"

"Ookwee!" Penelope showed him a piece of paper covered in scribbles.

"Maybe…you should make another one," Dexter suggested, startled by the illegibility of Penelope's paw-writing. Dexter got out a fresh piece of paper and Penelope told him what to write. He signed it with her name and got back to the scarf. When Dexter was not looking, Penelope scribbled Dexter's name underneath her own name. It took a few hours, but the scarf was finished. It was a beautiful pink scarf with Pashmina's name embroidered in it with a lavender yarn.

"When are you going to give it to her?" Hamtaro asked them.

"When she gets here," Dexter answered. He folded the scarf neatly with the card placed on top. He then gave the scarf to Penelope and sat at the table, feigning innocence. Pashmina opened up the door and walked right into Penelope, who held out the scarf and card.

"Oh? What's this, Penelope?" Pashmina asked. She opened the card and read aloud, "'Dear Pashmina, I want to thank you for everything you do for me. I made you this scarf. Love, Penelope' Aww! Penelope, that is so sweet—wait, what's this at the bottom. 'And Dexter'? Huh. I should have known that most of this wasn't your paw-writing, Penelope. Dexter?" Pashmina turned to Dexter.

"Yes, Pashmina?" Dexter asked.

"You helped Penelope with this card? And the scarf?"

"Uh…" Dexter was hesitant. He was nervous, moreover. His confidence was waning. What was he to say? What was he to do?

"Ookwee, ookwee!" Penelope vouched for Dexter.

"Dexter, that's so sweet of you," Pashmina smiled. "I've never seen that side of you before. I guess I never really took the time to notice. Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome," Dexter replied nervously. He was still blushing. Suddenly, the ground shook. Pashmina squealed and hugged Dexter in panic. His light pink blush went right to a deep crimson. He could almost swear he saw his glasses fog up.

"Stan's a stunt hamster," Snoozer snored.

"Stan?!" Pashmina and Dexter repeated. They, along with Penelope, scurried up to the surface and met up with the other Ham-Hams. Before the hamsters was a giant mechanical bull that was rampaging at full power.

"YAAAH! This is totally fun!" Stan whooped on the mechanical bull.

"I told ya!" Howdy laughed triumphantly.

"Guys, can I please turn it down now?! It really isn't safe to have this thing bucking full blast!" Panda begged.

"No way! I haven't even broken a sweat yet!" Stan boasted as he was swung around.

"Big bro, someone could, like, totally get hurt!" Sandy insisted as Maxwell hugged her protectively.

"Most likely you," Maxwell added.

"Eek!" Bijou squeaked and hugged Hamtaro in fright as the mechanical bull bucked so hard it nearly hit her with one of its horns. The same thing happened with Pashmina a moment later, but Dexter pulled her back and hugged her protectively. Pashmina blushed as Dexter held her.

"Ookwee!" Penelope jumped up and down, wanting to go next.

"Absolutely not!" Pashmina forbade.

"AAH!" Stan was hurled right into Boss.

"Watch it, Stan!" Boss hurled Stan off of him. "You could have killed me!"

"Sorry, old man," Stan coolly and insincerely apologize. Boss growled in anger.

"Can I go next?" Cappy asked. "Or after Penelope?"

"NO!" everyone answered.

"Did you get hurt?" Dexter asked Pashmina.

"No. Thank you," Pashmina said and embraced him.

"We should, like, make a rule against this thing," Sandy suggested.

"So no one will get hurt?" Hamtaro asked.

"Precisely," Maxwell answered.

The mechanical bull let out a bellowing moo. Howdy started laughing hysterically. He chortled, "I reckon that's the first time I done hear that one before!"

"I don't even see how that counts as a joke…" Dexter muttered.

"He tells jokes?" Stan asked teasingly. Everyone laughed, including Howdy. Then, Stan said, "Okay. No more mechanical bulls. Ramming into Boss hurt my head." He got close to Pashmina and flirted coolly, "Maybe you can make me feel better, girl."

"Sorry, but I think I found someone," Pashmina said to Stan and then started beaming at Dexter.

"M-me?" Dexter stammered.

"Him?!" Howdy's dang old jaw dropped.

"Yes," Pashmina nodded and gave Dexter a hug.

"Aww!" the other Ham-Hams cooed.

"This is so beautiful!" Oxnard sniffled and cried. "So beautiful!"

"Heh. Well, I'll be," Howdy chuckled. "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually feel happy for them."

"Why did you never think you'd say it?" Pashmina asked him.

"Well, y'all don't know? Dexter and I have had it hot for ya for ages now," Howdy informed her.

"You have?" Pashmina asked Dexter. Dexter blushed and gave a slight nod. Pashmina smiled and softly spoke, "Well, I'm flattered."


	2. Overprotective

**Chapter 2: Overprotective**

The day after the mechanical bull incident, Sandy went to the clubhouse with a smile on her face and determination in her eyes. She said to herself, "Today's totally going to be the day. I'll, like, finally have my big moment!" She scurried into the tunnel and right to the door. Carefully, she turned the knob and gently pushed the door open. The first thing she saw was her twin brother, Stan, shaking his maracas as usual. "Hi, big bro!"

"Oh. Hey, sis," Stan greeted when he heard her voice.

"Is Maxwell around? I, like, wanted to talk to him," Sandy asked her brother.

"Oh, Max? He went out. Probably for some reading light. I don't know. I never understood bookworms," Stan reported. Without another word, Sandy bolted out of the clubhouse to find Maxwell. When she finally found him, he was reading under a huge tree.

"Maxie!" Sandy squealed in delight. Maxwell saw her, closed his book, stood up, and smiled. She jumped into his arms and they both blushed and laughed.

"Hey, Sandy!" Maxwell greeted. "Did you just call me 'Maxie'?" In response, Sandy blushed and sheepishly shrugged. They gazed into each other's eyes and said nothing, for their eyes did all of the communicating. Their faces got close to that of the other hamster. Almost there. Almost there.

"Hey! What are you two doing?!" a voice interrupted. Sandy and Maxwell looked towards the origin of the voice to find that it was Stan who had shouted to them, or rather, at them. "Not cool, dude! You can't just try and maul my sis's face!"

"You're the one who did something not cool, Stan!" Sandy was suddenly furious. "Why aren't you carefree all of a sudden?!"

"Sandy, look, I'm just watching out for you as your brother!" Stan claimed. That was his intention.

"Like, get real, Stan! I'm not little anymore! I like what I like and you totally can't do a thing to change that!" Sandy spat at him.

"Whoa, chill out, sis!" Stan backed up, slightly terrified of his sister's anger.

"Yeah, Sandy, it's fine. Really," Maxwell said softly and awkwardly, wanting the fighting to end.

"No, it totally isn't fine! Our big moment is, like, ruined!" tears started to form in Sandy's eyes. "Do you want to know why I like Maxwell, Stan?! Do you?!"

"…" Stan was stunned silent.

"He reminded me of you," she answered anyway. Sandy pushed past her brother and left as the first tears started to fall.

"…I really screwed up, huh?" Stan shrugged. He did not want his sister to be mad at her, but he was worried about her getting hurt. Until the other Ham-Hams had reunited them, Stan had not seen his sister since they were little. He had not seen her grow up, but he felt like that was what he was living. Their past had been lost in their separation, but he liked being Noel's hamster. He liked his life. He could only wonder what Sandy thought of hers and wonder how long she had been so smitten with Maxwell.

"It's okay, Stan. I get that you're only trying to protect her like you would if she was still so little," Maxwell acknowledged, almost as if he had read Stan's mind.

"How did you know? Boyfriend's intuition?" Stan asked with a smirk. Maxwell blushed. Then, Stan apologized, "Hey, look, Max, I'm sorry about barging in when she was this close to kissing you. It just freaks me out that so much time has gone by. You know, I can totally remember it now. How she would always fall. And cry a lot. But we would always be together. And then, we just…weren't. Next thing I know that's sister-related, 'Taro and Ox show up and tell me they know where my twin is."

"That must have felt sudden," Maxwell commented.

"Totally," Stan nodded.

"I'll go talk to her," Maxwell started to walk away.

"Just promise me there won't be any baby hamsters running loose," Stan joked.

The look on Maxwell's face was very serious all of a sudden. He said, "I respect her far too much. When I know we're ready, then you can worry about being an uncle. That will not be for a while."

"Oh. Sorry…" Stan apologized. "When you do get the guts to propose to her in who knows how long, you'll have my blessing. Go get the girl, Max. She's crazy for you." Maxwell grinned and went to find Sandy.

"I DON'T LIKE THIS GAAAAAME!" Stan heard a voice shout as Cappy, Oxnard, and Penelope were using Cappy's red cooking pot as a sled to ride down the hill in. The voice had belonged to a nauseous looking Oxnard.

"OOKWEEEEEE!" Penelope cheered, having the time of her young hamster life.

"CLEAR THE WAY! CLEAR THE WAY!" Cappy shouted at Stan, who jumped out of the way of the pot as it nearly ran him over. The pot hit a tree and Oxnard looked ready to vomit. Cappy hollered, "Don't puke in here! Kip and Sue might need this!"

"Do your owners ever miss this thing? I mean, you always have it," Oxnard asked Cappy woozily. Cappy just shrugged. Penelope wanted to go again. Stan sweat-dropped at the sight of the three of them.

Meanwhile, Maxwell found Sandy crying in a tree. He scaled it to get to her, and then he wrapped an arm around her. He informed her, "I talked to your brother. He's just stuck in the past that you guys never really had."

"B-because we were, like, apart for so long?" Sandy sniffled. Maxwell nodded and wiped away her tears. Sandy managed a smile and cuddled with Maxwell. They looked each other in the eyes. They got close again. Almost there. Almost there. Finally! They finally had their big kiss and sparks of passion flew in their minds and in their hearts.

"That was…" Maxwell started to speak.

"Amazing… That was, like, so amazing!" Sandy became ecstatic.

"Precisely!" Maxwell chuckled. Then, they heard faint screaming. "Do you hear that?"

"Look!" Sandy pointed towards the nearby hill. Maxwell squinted and saw Oxnard, Cappy, Penelope, and Stan pot sledding. Sandy told her beloved Maxwell, "That looks like fun!"

"It looks potentially dangerous," Maxwell added his input.

"Not like the mechanical bull," Sandy's smile grew.

"Please don't remind me," Maxwell chuckled. He and Sandy kissed again. When they came apart, he said to her, "It gets better every time."

"It does," Sandy agreed. She snuggled up against Maxwell and soon fell asleep against his cuddly body. He smiled and rubbed her side gently and at a soothing rhythm.

"Marriage…maybe when we're older. No. _Definitely_ when we're older," Maxwell said to himself as he held Sandy and looked at the sky above the tree they were in.


	3. Not So Naive

**Chapter 3: Not So Naïve**

Sandy told Pashmina, Bijou, and Penelope about her kiss with Maxwell. She melted, "It was, like, the greatest thing that ever happened to me! And every kiss just gets better! It's totally breath-taking!"

"That sounds so romantic!" Bijou exclaimed with her French accent.

"Maybe Dexter will kiss me one day! Truth be told, I actually preferred him deep down. He's a sweet ham-guy. Plus, Howdy's jokes tend to get on my nerves," Pashmina said.

"They get on everybody's nerves…" Bijou sighed.

_Flashback…_

"_Hey, Bijou, want to hear a knock-knock joke?" Howdy asked. Before Bijou could answer, Howdy said, "Great! Knock-knock?" _

"_Uh…who is there?" Bijou asked reluctantly._

"_Air."_

"_Air who?"_

_Then, Howdy pretended to open an invisible door and said, "Air you are! I've been looking all over for ya!"_

_End of flashback…_

"…Wouldn't I be the one opening the door?" Bijou asked. The others just shrugged. Then, Bijou said, "I must say, Sandy, I am a bit envious of you. Hamtaro is so innocent and so naïve that I cannot even get him to hold my paw."

"Maybe he's shy," Pashmina suggested.

"Hamtaro? Shy? No way!" Sandy objected.

"Ookwee!" Penelope suggested.

"You mean ask Hamtaro if he's shy or if he likes Bijou?" Pashmina asked Penelope.

"Ookwee."

"Both?"

"Look! There he is now! Go get him, girl!" Sandy whispered to Bijou and pointed to Hamtaro as the orange and white hamster walked by. Bijou decided to go for it.

"Hello, Hamtaro," she intersected his path and greeted him.

"Hi, Bijou!" Hamtaro beamed at her. She smiled in delight. Then, he asked her, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," Bijou thought fast, not prepared at all for the conversation she wanted. "Just trying to make chit-chat. Um…nice weather we are having."

"Yeah," Hamtaro agreed.

"Well, why don't we go out and enjoy the nice weather by going for a walk together?" Bijou suggested.

"Sure! That sounds fun!" Hamtaro nodded. Bijou's eyes lit up. Her window of opportunity was finally wide open. "Right now?"

"Sounds wonderful!" Bijou smiled. She and Hamtaro left the clubhouse, leaving Sandy, Pashmina, and Penelope silently cheering. When she and Hamtaro were outside, they started marching through the forest together. She was barely able to contain her excitement.

"Hey, Bijou, there is something I want to tell you," Hamtaro started. There was a hint of seriousness in his fun loving voice. Bijou looked at him curiously. He continued, "I'm not sure how I want to say it, but…I feel like I have a special connection to you. I don't know if you would ever feel the same way."

"Oh, but I do! I do, Hamtaro!" Bijou exclaimed. He looked at her in surprise, but then a smile spread across his face.

"You have an adorable accent," he said to her.

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course! Why would I lie about something so…so…wow, there is a lot of words I can put there!" Hamtaro chuckled. He took one of Bijou's paws in one of his own. "Bijou, I really like you."

"Let me respond to that as they do in France," Bijou said slyly and started kissing Hamtaro on the lips. He had never been kissed up to now, and now he was being kissed in ways he could not have imagined. Boy, the French sure know what they're doing when it comes to lips, bread, and dessert. Don't forget the art.

Bijou broke away from Hamtaro. He asked her, "What did that mean?"

"It meant that I like you, too. A lot," Bijou explained. "I'm so happy you feel this way!"

"I'm happy, too! Wait; does this make us a couple?" Hamtaro chuckled, and then asked curiously.

"Do you want us to be a couple?" Bijou inquired. Hamtaro nodded in reply. The two hamsters smiled. Bijou hugged him and said, "Then we are a couple. Finally, we are a couple! Oh, I have waited so long for this! All of this long, long waiting has finally paid off!"

"I'm kind of worried about how Boss will react," Hamtaro gave his input.

"Oh, relax. It is not like Boss's heart will stop," Bijou assured. They went back to the clubhouse to tell everyone the good news. Upon hearing that Bijou and Hamtaro were an item, Sandy, Pashmina, and Penelope started cheering as loud as they possibly could. Others gave them their congratulations. Boss passed out.

"Is he going to be okay?" Cappy asked.

"I don't know," Panda answered worryingly.

"Oh, dang it, Boss, you're breaking my ticker again!" Howdy bawled.

Maxwell kneeled down and checked Boss's breathing. "…He's fine."

"He must just be going toe-to-paw with rejection. I can help him," Howdy shoved Maxwell aside. Then, at the top of his lungs, he screamed, "THE CROW CAWS AT MIDNIGHT!"

"I thought it cawed at 11:30," Cappy said, disappointed about being wrong. "It doesn't caw at 11:30?" Penelope gave Cappy a hug, wanting to make him feel better.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Pashmina said to Bijou and Hamtaro.

"I am, as well," Dexter smiled at them and wrapped an arm around Pashmina.

"Thank you!" both Hamtaro and Bijou thanked them simultaneously. They smiled at each other, happy as could be.

Just then, Jingle the wanderer came in through the clubhouse door. He had his guitar on his back and he was eating a Junior Mint. He questioned, "What did I miss?"

"What's that?" Cappy pointed to the Junior Mint.

"It's a Junior Mint. It's chocolate. It's mint. It's delicious!" Jingle explained.

"That's true," Stan nodded in agreement.

"It's very sensational!" Jingle added.

"Why do I have the feeling that I've seen this somewhere before…?" Cappy asked.

"I have no idea," Oxnard said to Cappy and started nibbling on a sunflower seed.


	4. Every Time We Touch

**Here's chapter four! I don't own this song. This song is by Cascada. I'm sure some of you have heard it. It is pretty popular among dance songs. Well, enjoy!**

**Stan: I know Kahoka will.**

**Boss: Why I ought to—**

**Shut it, you two! Don't spoil anything!**

**Chapter 4: Every Time We Touch**

A few days later, Bijou, Pashmina, and Sandy called everyone to the clubhouse, making sure that Maxwell, Hamtaro, and Dexter were there. When the boy hamsters finally appeared, Bijou announced, "We have a surprise for three special boys! Hamtaro…"

"Maxwell…" Sandy added.

"And Dexter," Pashmina concluded.

"We are going to dance for you!" Bijou explained.

"Dance?" Hamtaro echoed.

"For us?" Maxwell echoed.

"I'm flattered!" Dexter smiled.

"As you should be," Pashmina kissed Dexter's nose. Then, she stepped back in formation with her friends. The other Ham-Hams took a step back to give them some dancing room.

"Hit it!" Sandy shouted. Penelope put a CD into a boom box that she mysteriously acquired. Music started to play, and the girl-hams started to dance. They had taken a lot of time learning this dance, as they were in perfect sync with each other and the song.

_I still hear your voice, when you sleep next to me.  
I still feel your touch in my dreams.  
Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why  
Without you it's hard to survive._

'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling.  
And every time we kiss I swear I could fly.  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last  
Need you by my side.  
'Cause every time we touch, I feel the static.  
And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky.  
Can't you hear my heart beat so...  
I can't let you go.  
Want you in my life.

Your arms are my castle; your heart is my sky.  
They wipe away tears that I cry.  
The good and the bad times, we've been through them all.  
You make me rise when I fall.

'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling.  
And every time we kiss I swear I could fly.  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last  
Need you by my side.  
'Cause every time we touch, I feel the static.  
And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky.  
Can't you hear my heart beat so...  
I can't let you go.  
Want you in my life.

'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling.  
And every time we kiss I swear I could fly.  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast; I want this to last  
Need you by my side.

They finished their dance, and then they each took a bow. Every hamster cheered and clapped. Dexter, Maxwell, and Hamtaro cheered and applauded loudest. Dexter ran up to Pashmina and hugged her. He exclaimed, "That was great! You were amazing!"

"Thanks," Pashmina thanked him, blushing and smiling. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent. Dexter was always an upright fellow. She had no idea that a lot of the time, he had tried to impress her. When she finally learned, she felt bad for ignoring him and her own feelings for a long time.

"Sandy, you were spectacular!" Maxwell complimented Sandy. The tiger-striped hamster blushed at her boyfriend's comment.

"Wow, Bijou! You're such a good dancer!" Hamtaro said to Bijou and took her paws in his.

"Thank you, Hamtaro," Bijou smiled at him and giggled. She was flustered by him and his strong, gentle paws. She gazed into those friendly eyes and her heart started to race.

"That accent never gets any less adorable," Hamtaro commented. Bijou blushed and her smile grew wider. Her eyes widened with delight.

"Well, isn't this a sweet little ding-dong?" Howdy smiled at the beautiful moment.

"I just love this romance crud!" Boss cried. "It's so darn beautiful!"

"Sandy, I, uh…" Maxwell started to say, but then trailed off.

"Yes, Maxie?" Sandy asked.

"…I liked your dance," Maxwell said. It was not what he had planned on saying or wanted to say, but it was something.

"Thanks! We, like, worked _so_ hard on it! I really think we finally, like, got it down, you know? I just feel, like, totally great about it. The song, the group, and the moves!" Sandy explained. She hugged Maxwell. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm just not much of a speaker," Maxwell lied. "I'm never sure when to say the right things at the right time. Silly, huh?"

"Not at all!" Sandy objected. "I love how shy you get sometimes. You're totally reliable. I can always count on you when I need you. Maxwell, I wouldn't trade you for all the sunflower seeds in the whole stinking world."

"Really?" Maxwell gasped.

"Totally," Sandy nodded.

"Hey, Dexter?" Pashmina called out her ham-lover's name. When she got Dexter's attention, she kissed him right on the lips, and he kissed back. They looked like they were really enjoying it. Penelope cooed playfully at them. Howdy swallowed his envy and actually managed to be very happy for his friend.

"You really like my accent?" Bijou asked Hamtaro.

"Bijou, you're my little jewel. I like everything about you," Hamtaro smiled at her. He pulled her into a hug.

"You know, ever since you and I became a couple, I've been tempted to call you my orange and white knight," Bijou admitted.

"I like the sound of that," Hamtaro smiled. "It has a nice ring to it. Doesn't your name mean 'jewel' in French?"

"Something along those lines. That is one meaning," Bijou answered him. "Oh, Hamtaro, I am so happy that we are more than just friends! I have waited so patiently for so long! I suppose patience does have its rewards!"

"I guess it does," Hamtaro replied with a smile. "Bijou, don't ever forget that you mean a lot to me."

"Never! I shall not for as long as I live!" Bijou promised Hamtaro. "Never ever shall I forget that! I always knew that, somehow, I had a special place in your heart! You have a special place in mine! Oh, kiss me, you fool!" Bijou then grabbed Hamtaro and started to kiss him fiercely and passionately. He kissed her back.

"When in Rome…" Maxwell shrugged.

"Do as the Romans do," Sandy finished. They started kissing, as well.

"Oh, I think I'm going to hurl!" Cappy exclaimed. Penelope grasped his paw.

"This is way to much love at one time," Stan recoiled.

"How long was I gone?" Jingle asked everyone else.

"I'll tell ya for a dollar," Howdy offered.

"No, thanks," Jingle declined Howdy's bargain. "I don't need to know that badly. You're Tex, right?"

"Howdy!" Howdy snapped.

"Well, howdy, Tex!" Jingle greeted and shook Howdy's paw.

"Why do I bother?" Howdy muttered.

"I wonder the same thing," Boss mumbled.

"You do, Chief?" Jingle asked Boss.

"Okay, do we have to start wearing name tags around you or something? Because that is how it feels," Boss demanded, irritated by the fact that Jingle was more than horrible with names. "Are you trying to reduce us to name tags? Are you?"

"Cool it, Kahoka," Jingle muttered.

"KAHOKA?! WHO'S KAHOKA?!" Boss demanded.

"Apparently you," Stan laughed. Boss started angrily chasing Stan, wanting to beat the tiger-striped male with his shovel.


	5. The Rings

**Maxwell: I'm quite pleased with this chapter!**

**Hamtaro: Me, too!**

**Dexter: I suppose I make three! Although, Howdy makes a joke later in this chapter that I really do not appreciate.**

**Howdy: Who says it's a joke?**

**Sandy, Bijou, and Pashmina: Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: The Rings**

Maxwell was a very nervous hamster. He was so deeply in love with Sandy. He could not say it. He was sitting alone in the club house in the wee hours of the morning. Well, not entirely alone. Boss was out excavating and Snoozer was doing what he always did: sleep. He groaned, "Why can't I tell Sandy those three little, atomic words?! AGH!" He felt like bashing his head into every hard object within a 100-mile radius. He felt so weak. Sandy would not wait for him forever.

"Love takes time to blossom. It can't be forced," a drowsy lisp wisely advised. "It will all become sensible eventually. Just find your inspiration."

"Was that—?" Maxwell said to himself. He realized it was Snoozer who was giving him advice. "Thanks, Snoozer! That's precisely what I'll do!" He went out and decided to help Boss with his excavation project. "Boss! Boss, are you out here?" When he finally did find Boss, Hamtaro and Dexter were with him.

"Hi, Maxwell," Hamtaro greeted.

"Someone is here early," Dexter commented.

"I suppose I can say the same to you," Maxwell smiled. "Hey, do you guys ever—no, never mind. It's absolutely silly."

"No, what?" Hamtaro urged.

"Do you ever want to tell Pashmina or Bijou that you're in love with them?" Maxwell asked his friends. He was hoping that he was not alone in his internal conflict. He really needed some support from those who understood his dilemma.

"Yeah. I do want to tell Bijou…" Hamtaro admitted.

"I've wanted to tell Pashmina that for a long time, and now I want to tell her even more now that I know I'm in love with her," Dexter admitted. "I don't know _how_ I know it, but I _do_ know that I am in love with Pashmina. It's as if by instinct."

"No use talking about it here. Let's get digging!" Hamtaro decided.

"That's the spirit. Oh, so Maxwell decided to join us. Good! A shovel for each of you," Boss smiled at the three of them and gave them each a shovel. "Now, get digging!"

"YEAH!" the three other hamsters cheered. They all started digging. They kept thinking of the girl Ham-Hams that ended up becoming their drives.

Hamtaro's shovel dinged when it hit something. He exclaimed, "You guys, I think I hit something!"

"Is it profitable?" Boss asked eagerly. "Can we trade it for sunflower seeds?"

"Please, let us see," both Maxwell and Dexter requested. They brushed aside some of the dirt on Hamtaro's shovel to find three beautiful golden rings perfect for the finger of a lucky girl hamster.

"Rings! I found rings!" Hamtaro cheered. "This is my lucky day! Alright! Hey, I know!" He gave one ring to Dexter, another to Maxwell, and a third to himself. He told them, "We'll keep them for when we're ready!"

"Ready?! Ready for what?! What?!" Boss demanded. However, Dexter and Maxwell knew exactly what their orange and white companion was talking about. They three nodded, leaving Boss completely and utterly clueless and skeptical. The four of them went into the clubhouse to find a majority of their friends there. Sandy was there, and she was looking blue.

"H-hi, Sandy," Maxwell greeted her politely and shyly.

"Hi, Maxwell," Sandy returned the greeting with a hint of sadness and disappointment in her voice. Maxwell immediately noticed that the red ribbon on her tail was gone, letting the orange fur flow freely. He found it somewhat endearing. She said to him, "I've been having a rough day lately. First, my water bottle broke and spilled all over me. Then, on my way to the clubhouse, a bird broke one of my gymnastics ribbons and another bird stole my sunflower seeds. I tripped a few times. And somewhere along the way, my tail ribbon, like, came undone. It just kept piling up. It's totally aggravating me."

"I think I know how to make your day," Maxwell beamed at her.

"Oh, yeah? How?" Sandy inquired. He leaned forward and kissed her. When he pulled away, she smiled. "You were right! That, like, totally did make my day!"

"I'm not done yet," Maxwell informed her and slipped the ring onto her finger. Everyone gasped, and Sandy blushed. Maxwell began a speech. "Sandy, you know that I really, truly—totally, as you would say—care about you. Do you know how much I care about you? Well, I care about you to the point where I can say those three words: 'I love you'. I really do believe I am in love with you, Sandy. Honestly, I hope you feel the same way. You're a truly special hamster and I hope that I can make you happy with everything and anything I have to offer. Sandy, like the beautiful rolling beaches adjacent to crystal waters. Sandy, with tiger stripes so bold and vivid, like your personality."

"Maxwell…" Sandy stared at him. She remained silent for a few seconds, blushing. Maxwell's heart raced. Had Sandy not been ready to hear that? Did he just blow everything he worked so hard to get? Her silence made him want to drop dead. Everything spun. Everything was blurry. Maxwell felt like the silence had just shot him. But then, Sandy spoke, "Maxwell, you're, like, the most awesome guy I ever met. I, like, couldn't have asked for a better suitor. I never thought about, like, who my perfect match would be. Then, that time I dropped my ribbon and fell over, and you picked it up for me, I, like, so wanted it to be you."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Maxwell asked her.

"What do you think I'm saying?" Sandy counter-asked.

"I think you're going to drop the 'L' bomb," Maxwell answered her.

"Precisely," Sandy smiled. Maxwell smiled with delight and Sandy jumped into his arms.

"Oh, Sandy, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that!" Maxwell laughed joyfully. He felt like crying, he was so emotional and joyful.

"I, like, have a general idea," Sandy giggled.

"AWW!" the other Ham-Hams cooed.

Meanwhile, outside of the clubhouse, Hamtaro was with Bijou. After hearing Maxwell's speech, he felt inspired and determined. He said, "Bijou, you're the jewel of my little hamster life."

"I am?" Bijou blushed.

"Yeah! I couldn't have asked for a greater friend or girlfriend to love than you!" Hamtaro nodded.

"G-girlfriend?" Bijou blushed even more and smiled. "Hamtaro, you're my orange and white knight! I feel the same way!"

"You're my jewel!" Hamtaro replied to her comment. They both blushed and leaned in for a kiss. Oh, how blissful it was! They were two hamsters enjoying one big kiss. While they held the kiss, Hamtaro slipped the ring onto Bijou's finger.

"What is this?" Bijou pulled away and looked at her paw.

"It's a ring I found. I want you to have it. It looks great on you!" Hamtaro smiled and explained.

"Oh, Hamtaro, it is wonderful! Thank you so much! _Merci_!" Bijou thanked in English and in French.

"Um, I don't know how to say 'you're welcome' in French. Should I just say it in English twice?" Hamtaro asked. Bijou started laughing at her orange and white knight's silly question. Then, Hamtaro joined in on the laughter.

Not much longer later, Pashmina and Dexter were alone in a quiet corner of the club house. They were lying on a hammock that Panda had built a few weeks before. Dexter gazed at the gorgeous Pashmina. He cleared his throat and got her attention. He started to speak, "Pashmina, you've always had a special place in my heart."

"And you're living there rent-free!" Howdy added from the floor below them.

"Anyways…" Dexter continued, "I have felt an even stronger attraction to you ever since you and I became the hamster couple we claim ourselves to be today. I cannot get you out of my mind. I feel so…well, it's indescribable, but it's a great feeling nonetheless. I take it to be…love."

"Love? You mean you feel it, too?" Pashmina asked him. Both of them blushed and gazed deeply into each other's eyes. They ended up making lip-to-lip contact. When they broke apart, Dexter gently grabbed Pashmina's paw and slipped the ring onto her little hamster finger.

"There! It's a perfect fit!" Dexter smiled triumphantly.

"Oh, Dexter, it is so beautiful!" Pashmina gasped delightedly. "My goodness! How did you get this?"

"Well, you see, Hamtaro found three of them when we were digging today. We each wanted to give one to the girl Ham-Ham we each cared about above all others," Dexter explained.

"Aww!" Pashmina cooed.

"While Maxwell made a big scene, declaring his love to all, I wanted to get you alone, because you are the most important one to know how I feel," Dexter explained.

"Aww!" Pashmina cooed again. She couldn't help but grab him by his cheeks and kiss him again.

At that time, Penelope was sneaking under Cappy's red pot. Cappy's back was to her. She greeted, "Ookwee!"

"Huh? Ow!" Cappy whirled around in surprise and hit his head. Penelope started rubbing his head. He asked her, "What are you doing in here?"

"Ookwee," Penelope explained.

"You just wanted to say hi?" Cappy asked. "No one has ever come in here just to say 'hi' before."

"Ookwee!"

"Yeah. I guess you are the first."

Meanwhile, Howdy was showing something to Boss. Howdy claimed, "I done wrote a one act play!"

"Howdy, this is a bunch of scribbles and a picture of you kissing Pashmina as Dexter is hogtied in the corner," Boss stated.

"I know. I call it 'Howdy Gets the Girl; Western Style'," Howdy laughed.


	6. Love and Friendship

**Here is the sixth chapter! I decided to bring about and mention some characters that only appeared in the Japanese series, like Lapis, Lazuli, and Flora. Also, in the very last episode of Hamtaro ever aired to date, Oxnard and Pepper got married, so if I mention anything about their marriage, it is now fair game. Anyways, Dexter gets heroic and everyone else gets emotional in this one. I hope you all enjoy it. **

**Chapter 6: Love and Friendship**

Dexter and Pashmina were sitting in the clubhouse, trying to figure out what to do. Dexter pointed out, "I'd like for us to go for a walk, but I heard that there will be a bad storm brewing at any time."

"Well, maybe we could just walk around here. There's nothing wrong with the scenery," Pashmina improvised.

"That sounds good. If the rain starts, we'll just run right back here, and it won't even take that long. Good thinking, Pashmina!" Dexter exclaimed and hugged his girlfriend. She blushed in his arms. Then, Dexter said something that made her blush even more. He said, "That's one of the many things I love about you. You are very smart."

"You think I'm smart?" Pashmina felt tears of happiness roll into her eyes. No one had ever called her smart before. Everyone just said she was kind. Once in a blue moon, she was told she was fashionable. Being called smart was a first, and it felt exhilarating.

"Of course I do! Would I have said it if it wasn't true?" Dexter asked rhetorically.

"Mm…maybe," Pashmina giggled playfully. "I'm going to go ask Lazuli to watch Penelope." She trotted over to the white hamster with her fur in a hair fountain. She asked Lazuli, "Lazuli, can you please do me a favor?"

"Sure, Pashmina. What is it?" Lazuli obliged, and then asked.

"Can you please watch Penelope for me? Dexter and I want to go for a walk alone together," Pashmina requested sweetly.

"Sure! Penelope's adorable! I love her! But are you sure a walk is a good idea? I heard that a nasty storm is on its way," Lazuli seemed more than somewhat concerned, but at the same time, was overjoyed to be spending time with little Penelope.

"We won't go far," Pashmina assured her. "Are you sure watching Penelope is no trouble?"

"None in the least!" Lazuli smiled. "You go enjoy that boyfriend of yours!"

"Thank you so much!" Pashmina squealed with delight and skipped over to Dexter. She asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Ready when you are, my lady!" Dexter beamed at her and held the door open for her. "After you."

"Thank you, sir," Pashmina giggled playfully and went out, Dexter following close behind. They were outside and walking through the forest soon enough. The sky looked gray, but other than that, there was no real sign of rain. As they walked, Pashmina asked, "Dexter, did you really mean it when you told me you loved me?"

"Of course I did. What's not to love? You're smart, sweet, compassionate, funny, and you're rich with moral fiber. You know right from wrong better than any other Ham-Ham I know! At such a young age, you have great paternal instincts. Just think of Penelope! She sees a motherly figure in you, and there is no reason for her not to. Sometimes, I would grow paranoid that you would choose Howdy over me to hold your paw in affection," Dexter spoke sincerely and lovingly, bringing each word from deep within his heart. "From your our white and gold fur to those green tinted glittering eyes to that pink scarf, you're beautiful on the outside. From your wits to your compassion, you are beautiful on the inside. Now that we are together, I know it is love."

"Oh, Dexter!" Pashmina sighed dreamily and let out a few tears of joy. "That was the nicest, most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me! Thank you so much, Dexter!"

"You're welcome, my dear Pashmina. Just remember I meant every word I just said. I meant each word to the letter," Dexter informed her. Pashmina nodded, confirming she understood. Just then, a breeze blew through. Then, the breeze became a wind. The wind started to grow stronger. Rain started to fall, and it picked up abnormally quickly. Dexter suggested to his girlfriend, "We'd better get back to the clubhouse immediately!"

"Right!" Pashmina nodded. They tried running, but the headwind was too strong. Pashmina yelled over the wind, "It's too strong! We can't run in this!"

"We need to find cover!" Dexter replied. Both hamsters were soon soaked. Dexter griped, "I wish we had brought raincoats. Pashmina, are you cold?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded. He hugged her, hoping that would help at least a little. With both of them wet, it did not do much, but Pashmina felt the warmth of her boyfriend's kind heart. It was like he was her hearth. They both tried taking shelter under a tree branch. They didn't have much luck, but it was better than directly under the open sky at that point.

Dexter heard a faint snap from above that Pashmina seemed to not hear. He looked up and saw that the tree branch was hurtling down towards them. Everything happened in slow motion. Dexter screamed, "Look out, Pashmina!" and he pushed out from under the branch. When Pashmina whirled around to see what had come over Dexter, she witnessed the branch fall onto him.

"DEXTER!" Pashmina screamed at the top of her lungs. "No, no, no! This can't be happening! No! No, it can't be!" She went into hysterics and started to sob wildly. "Why?! It should have been me!" She couldn't calm down to save her life. Her life. Dexter might have sacrificed his own to save hers.

"Pashmina!" she heard a French accent in the distance.

"Pashmina! Dexter!" this time, she heard a southern drawl. She sniffled and turned around to see Bijou and Howdy approach her. Even through the rain, they could see the tears on her face.

"Pashmina, what happened?!" Bijou asked frantically. Both she and Howdy wore little raincoats and they had brought two more.

"Oh, no…" Howdy's attention shifted over to Dexter when he saw his dear friend under the tree branch.

"H-h-he saved me!" Pashmina sobbed and felt Bijou pull her into a comforting embrace.

"Speak to me, buddy! Please! Don't be falling asleep in the middle of a dang old chestnut sandwich like Elder Ham!" Howdy tried as hard as he could to refrain from crying. "You've finally got your dream girl, so don't you quit! Don't you quit on me, ya dingbat!" Then, Howdy felt a surge of adrenaline. He started to push the gigantic branch off of the unconscious Dexter. Pashmina and Bijou started to help. They eventually got the branch off of him. Howdy put a raincoat on his unconscious friend while Bijou gave Pashmina the other one. She glumly took it and solemnly put it on. They carried Dexter back to the clubhouse, none of them speaking a word.

When they got back, the others looked at Dexter's body in shock. Lapis, Lazuli's sister, asked, "What happened to him?!"

"Oh, no! This looks bad!" Hamtaro exclaimed.

"Ookyu?" Penelope asked, looking ready to cry.

"Boss, I need the spare bed! Stat!" Maxwell frantically ordered, acting like a doctor in a desperate situation. "He needs to lie down!"

"Roger!" Boss nodded and got out a sock that was just like the one Snoozer always slept in. it was likely the pair to Snoozer's bed. Pashmina, Bijou, and Howdy put Dexter in the bed.

"Pashmina…" Dexter groaned, stirring in his unconsciousness.

"I'm here, Dexter! I'm here!" Pashmina exclaimed as tears continued to fall.

"You're not hurt…?" Dexter asked as he slowly opened his eyes.

"No. I'm fine. Thanks to you," Pashmina whimpered. "You're going to be okay, right? Right?"

"Let me check him. I'm not Flora, but I've read enough about injuries to see how fatal his are," Maxwell requested. No one objected, and Maxwell looked him over. Then, he pawed at Dexter's bones and joints, primarily in his spine and ribcage. He then faced everyone and announced, "He'll live. In fact, nothing is broken. I think this goes beyond science. I'm not sure what could have or what did cushion the blow if anything. Then again, I wasn't there. But I think that what he had was some help from above."

"Maybe the branch hit something close to the ground and lost most of its power from the long fall," Bijou suggested.

"I'd have to look into that," Maxwell responded to Bijou's theory.

"May I share my theory?" a Ham-Ham asked. To everyone's surprise, it was Dexter, the hamster in question. He suggested, "I think—no, I know what kept me going. My love for Pashmina is stronger than any branch, even one of such great mass. The thought of her kept me going. I was not about to let it end there and then. Not with so much ahead of us. All of you kept me going. I have great friends who I don't want to leave, especially under those circumstances. Howdy, I want to thank you especially. It's because of you I got out of there. You, Pashmina, and Bijou pushed the branch off of me. Love and friendship are what saved me."

"AWW!" the other Ham-Hams cooed.

"Dexter, you're breaking my ticker!" Howdy bawled. Pashmina shot her boyfriend a teary smile.

"We're so glad you're okay," Lazuli said to Dexter.

"Thank you, Lazuli," Dexter smiled at her. Penelope gave him a great big hug. He hugged her back and said, "I'm sorry to have worried you, Penelope."

"Ookwee!" Penelope smiled and cheered.

"This is just so beautiful!" Oxnard bawled.

"I know!" Cappy agreed.

"Dexter, you, like, really had me scared for a moment," Sandy informed Dexter. "You were totally heroic to have saved Pashmina like that! That's, like, _so _romantic!"


	7. Stan's Gifts

**Chapter 7: Stan's Gifts**

Stan was pacing in the clubhouse. He had a crush on a certain lady hamster. Unlike Bijou and Pashmina, this hamster was different. Stan didn't resort to empty flirting with her. He really, truly wanted to impress this hamster. The hamster in question: Flora the nurse hamster. He kept asking himself, "What am I going to do? I've given her flowers and sunflower seeds! I guess…I guess I'm just going to give her everything girls like until I get some sort of response."

"Tell her how you feel," Snoozer drowsily advised.

"Easy for you to say, Sleepy Head!" Stan snapped at the sleeping hamster, but Snoozer only tossed and turned.

That day, Stan went down to the animal hospital where Flora and her human worked. He snuck in through the window and was able to locate Flora, giving a younger hamster a checkup.

"Now open up and say 'ah'," Flora instructed.

"Ah," the young hamster did as told. Flora placed a hamster sized tongue depressor on his tongue and examined his mouth. When she pulled away, she smiled at him.

"You're such a good boy! Oh, I wish you would open up a little, though. It's like I'm the only one who you'll cooperate for," Flora sighed.

"I like you, Nurse Flora," the younger hamster smiled and claimed.

"Aw, I'm flattered!" Flora oozed. Stan's mouth hung open at the sight of this.

When the young hamster walked away, Stan greeted, "H-hey there, Flora."

"Oh, hi, Stan! How are you?" Flora cheerily asked.

"Oh, I'm, uh, I'm fine," Stan reported, trying to keep his cool.

"I think I know why you're here," Flora smiled. Stan's eyes lit up. Flora then guessed, "You want me to come over to the clubhouse and check on Dexter! Oh, that's sweet! You're such a good friend!"

"I am?!" Stan's eyes turned to hearts.

"Yeah! I heard what happened to the poor Ham-Ham. What he did was so brave!" Flora exclaimed. Stan fell over. He then got back up and took Flora to the clubhouse. When they got in, she greeted the others, "Hi, everyone! Is Dexter here? Stan wanted me to check up on him."

"No, I reckon I haven't seen the gosh darn bowtie Ham," Howdy reported. "I reckon I'd be surprised to see him show up in the shape he's in."

"Then why did you bring me here?" Flora turned to Stan and asked.

Before Stan could answer, Dexter and Pashmina came in through the door. Dexter said, "I know you all think I should be at home, but honestly, I am fine. It is nothing I cannot handle."

"He's got amazing willpower," Pashmina swooned.

"Are you sure you're okay? You got hit pretty hard yesterday," Panda asked Dexter.

"I've been trying to be optimistic lately. The way I see it, I could have been worse!" Dexter smiled proudly. He saw Flora and greeted, "Hello, Flora. What brings you here?"

"Stan wanted me to check up on you," Flora reported. Dexter looked shocked and turned to Stan.

"Anything for my good buddy, Dexter!" Stan acted, wrapping a fuzzy arm around Dexter.

"Stan, please remove your arm from that area. I don't mean to complain, but it aches there a little," Dexter informed Stan, who took back his arm. "Thank you, Stan."

"Sandy brought Flora here because she was worried about Dexter," Snoozer snored.

"I'M STAN! I AM A HAM-_DUDE_!" Stan yelled at Snoozer.

"Stan, it's not that big a deal," Flora told him softly.

"You're absolutely right!" Stan turned to her and said sweetly. "It isn't that big of a deal. How silly of my to lose my cool. How unnatural."

"How egotistical," Sandy muttered. Her friends giggled at her comment. Stan brushed the comment aside.

"Do you need the big needle," Flora pulled a really big syringe needle out of thin air.

"No, no, no, that's okay! Really! You don't need that! I'm not ill! I already took my rabies shots!" Dexter panicked. He wasn't normally afraid of needles, but anyone would be timid of a needle _that_ big.

"Yo, Flora. I wanted to give you something. You know, as a…way of saying thanks for coming down here," Stan informed her and gave her a heart shaped box of chocolates.

"Oh, thank you, Stan. That's very nice of you," Flora smiled and graciously took the box.

"It's not Valentine's Day," Boss muttered.

"Maybe he is just saying thank you," Hamtaro quietly suggested.

"Knowing Stan, that's not the case," Oxnard mumbled.

"I just hope my big brother is not being a big jerk," Sandy pouted at the thought.

"No, it looks like quite the opposite. It looks like he's being friendly. Too friendly, perhaps," Maxwell pointed out. "He's never given chocolate to any of the other girls he's flirted with."

"He's never really flirted with Flora to begin with," Cappy pointed out.

"Who are you again?" Jingle asked Cappy.

"That stupid pig of yours is the only one whose name you can ever remember!" Boss snapped in a hushed tone.

"Herbert is not stupid, Kahoka!" Jingle claimed assertively.

"MY NAME IS NOT KAHOKA!" Boss yelled at the top of his lungs. He was ready to kill Jingle, but the others were holding him back.

"No, Boss, do not do it!" Bijou begged.

"Let's go where it is quieter," Stan suggested and guided Flora out. Flora looked back at everyone and followed Stan out, not wanting to get involved in the potential melee. Stan took her to a tree where he had hidden a basket of sunflower seeds. "These are yours. A gift from me to you."

"Oh, Stan!" Flora beamed at him.

Stan then took her to a meadow and told her to pick as many flowers as she wanted. She didn't pick many, and said that she would give the ones she did pick to some patients in the animal hospital. Stan said, "That's really cool of you, Flora."

"Thanks," Flora thanked. Lastly, he took her to the fun park Panda and the others had built. They went on the Ferris wheel and down the slide together. Then, Flora finally asked, "Hey, Stan, all of these gifts, and the fun park…are you trying to court me or something?"

"Yes," Stan bowed his head shamefully. "I wanted to impress you and I wanted you to like me."

"I _do_ like you, Stan! You're so sweet and strong and thoughtful and gentle! No one has ever tried this hard to impress me, let alone at all," Flora beamed at him.

"They just don't know what they're missing," Stan smiled confidently.

"Aww!" Flora blushed and cooed. "You know, maybe we could do something like this again some time."

"Yeah. I'll come visit you at work sometimes, too. I'll help you out a little if you want," Stan smiled and offered.

"Oh, that'd be wonderful!" Flora exclaimed.

"I'll walk you back to work," Stan took her paw. In his mind, he was thinking, _Yes, yes, YES! Stan, you sly Ham, you! You've done it again with your animal magnetism!_

"Thank you, Stan," Flora thanked him and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed madly. "Looks like your cool is all heated up."

"That's funny!" Stan laughed while blushing. They started walking. Halfway back to the vet, Stan gave Flora a rose. He said, "Some flora for Flora?"

"Oh, Stan!" Flora blushed and took the rose. "I think I'll try to keep this one. It'll always remind me of you. Well, until it wilts."


	8. Penelope's Plan

**Here's the eighth chapter. Penelope does something wacky. Jingle's forgetfulness of names takes to new heights. Enjoy! **

**Chapter 8: Penelope's Plan**

Penelope was sitting in her cage, looking at the great, big moon from her owner's window. Her owner, Kylie, was sound asleep. Penelope, however, was wide awake. She was formulating a crazy plan. There was something she really, really wanted. Pashmina already got this thing, as did Bijou and Sandy. So why not little Penelope?

The next day, at the clubhouse, Penelope told her friends of her crazy desires. Pashmina repeated, "You want to _kiss_ your owner's little cousin, Ethan?!"

"I personally think that the flower was friendly enough, Penelope," Dexter tried to persuade the baby hamster, but her mind was set.

"Penelope, sweetie, this is nuts! You can't just break into his house and start kissing him!" Pashmina exclaimed.

"Ookwee, ookwee!" Penelope snapped. Pashmina was taken aback.

"Penelope, where did you learn such fowl language?" Dexter demanded.

"Ookyu," Penelope answered.

"From Boss?" Dexter repeated.

"Ookyu, ookwee," Penelope added.

"And Howdy," Dexter translated. "I'll have to have a talk with those two."

"Ookwee, ookwee, ookwee," Penelope wanted someone to volunteer to help her break into Ethan's house.

"Leave it to Uncle Jingle!" Jingle volunteered. "Patty, you are going to get your man in no time!"

"Ookwee, ookwee," Penelope told Jingle that her name wasn't Patty.

"I can't understand a word you're saying," Jingle informed Penelope, who only sighed in response. Okay, so Penelope was getting help from Jingle the wanderer. Herbert was likely part of the package.

"I'll help out, but this is just plain wrong. Yay, adventure!" Lazuli volunteered. Lapis's mouth hung open at the thought of her sister helping a young Ham-Ham in the act of breaking and entering. It was enough to make any sister's heart stop, but only given bad cholesterol as a factor. Lapis did not have that problem.

"Can I come…?" Snoozer asked drowsily.

"Ookwee!" Penelope cheered. She brought Lazuli and Jingle over to where Snoozer was. This was because Snoozer obviously wouldn't move an inch without being carried. Penelope took out a map of Ethan's neighborhood and pointed to his house. "Ookwee, ookwee. Ookwee, ookwee, ookyu. Ookwee, ookwee, ookwee. Ookwee?"

"Can you run that by me again?" Jingle asked.

Later that night, around 10:30 or so, Penelope, Lazuli, Jingle, and Herbert the pig were all in a tree in Ethan's front yard. Lazuli and Jingle used sticks as crowbars to pry Ethan's bedroom window open. Once it was open enough for Penelope to get through, she jumped onto the ledge in front of the window and crawled in army style.

The moment of truth was upon Penelope. Ethan was sleeping and totally still. Penelope got onto his bed and hugged the sleeping face of her human friend. She gazed at his young lips. The lips alone were the size of her whole face. That did not worry her, nor did it discourage her. She started bouncing excitedly and pressed her lips against those of the human. Her face sank in as his lips parted ever so slightly. He woke up with a start and screamed, "Ah! What?!" Penelope tumbled backwards. Once Ethan came to his senses, he saw Penelope. "Penelope? What are you doing here?"

Penelope chuckled nervously as Lazuli and Jingle watched in the view of the window. Ethan picked her up and said, "You should go back to Kylie, where you belong. You're such a sweet, silly hamster! Guess what. Mom said that she's letting me get a hamster of my own!"

Penelope's jaw hung wide open. She had mixed emotions about the news. It was great that Ethan would have a new friend. Penelope could probably even bring the new hamster to the clubhouse. But…was she being…_replaced_? She forced a smile in response to young Ethan's natural smile. Penelope turned back and waved down Lazuli and Jingle, rasping, "Ookyu!"

They translated that to 'abort' and they fled on Herbert. Penelope turned back to Ethan innocently as he called his older cousin. Secretly, she unplugged the phone. He muttered, "That's weird. The phone is dead." He turned to see Penelope wave goodbye to him and climb out the window.

The next day, Penelope told everyone everything that happened. Then, she told everyone about how Ethan was getting a hamster of his own. Hamtaro cheered, "A new Ham-Ham?! Alright! This is too cool!"

"Like, totally cool!" Sandy agreed.

"When do we get to meet this new fellow?" Bijou asked excitedly. Penelope shrugged, and everyone fell over.

"Ooh, it is Flora's lunch break!" Stan realized and darted out of the clubhouse. Everyone sweat dropped as he was in too much of a rush to even close the door.

"You city-Hams never slow down," Pepper, Oxnard's wife, shook her head in disgrace.

"I'll have you know that I am a field hamster!" Boss angrily let Pepper know.

"Then, you're nothing like that guy," Pepper concluded.

"Yeah, exactly," Boss nodded.

"Stan means well," Sandy vouched for her brother, "but he sometimes just gets a bit of a big head. He's the best big brother ever!"

"Ironic, considering that just a few weeks ago, you thought he was the worst brother ever when he interrupted your big kiss with Book Charming over there," Boos pointed out and gestured to Maxwell.

"Book Charming?" Maxwell echoed.

"You will think we will still be alive in a hundred years?" Bijou asked randomly.

"I think so. Elder Ham has been here since forever!" Hamtaro exclaimed. He was exaggerating on Elder Ham's age, but it wasn't like he knew by how much.

"Has he really?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah, and Auntie Viv, too!" Hamtaro answered, cheerful as ever.

"I remember your name!" Jingle pointed to Hamtaro and exclaimed. "You're Yippee Skippy!"

"Not even close," Hamtaro hung his head.

"Close enough for me, Yip," Jingle smirked. He pointed to Maxwell, "Kahoka called you Book Charming. Your girlfriend's name is Tigress!"

"My name is, like, Sandy!" Sandy corrected Jingle.

"Okay, Like Sandy," Jingle nodded.

"I do kind of like the ring 'Tigress' has to it. I've got the stripes," Sandy thought aloud.

"I like your name as it is," Maxwell told her and kissed her cheek. She blushed and started kissing him fiercely, taking him by surprise at first.

"Penelope…kissed another guy?" Cappy frowned and asked openly. Everyone was too distracted to answer him.

**I don't know when or if I'm going to introduce Ethan's hamster. I do have plans for more hamsters, but that's **_**much**_** later in the story. Remember to recycle! Potato**


	9. Triple Proposal

**I have been thinking about ending this story soon. Oh, no, not yet! Maybe one or two more chapters after this. Anyways, Hamtaro, Dexter, and Maxwell all have something that each of them would like to ask their respective girlfriend. Enjoy! **

**Chapter 9: Triple Proposal**

It was just an average day, but that would change very quickly. Hamtaro and Bijou were having a fun time together in the Ham-Ham Fun Park of Super Fun and Enjoyment, a name thought up by Jingle. Hamtaro was planning on asking Bijou the biggest question ever. This did not mean it was the longest question word-wise ever, but it was a short question. Even though it was a short question, it had high life-changing value. And so, Hamtaro wanted to ask the question in a fun place.

"Hamtaro, would you like to go on the Ferris wheel?" Bijou asked, batting her pretty eyes.

"Sure, Bijou!" Hamtaro smiled. They both got on the Ferris wheel. Hamtaro had hoped they would get on it. "Listen, Bijou, I have something I want to say…"

"You sound serious? Is something wrong?" Bijou asked. Hamtaro _loved_ that beautiful French accent of hers. It motivated him to ask.

"No, nothing's wrong! I just had something I wanted to ask you. It's kind of important," Hamtaro explained. "You and I have known each other for a while now. We've been dating. We both know we're in love. I want to take things a step further. Gosh, this is hard!"

"A step further?" Bijou echoed and tilted her head.

"Bijou, my little French maiden, will you marry me?" Hamtaro finally got the courage to ask back.

"Oh, Hamtaro!" Bijou hugged Hamtaro immediately. Suddenly, the ring on her finger glowed. Yes, the very same ring that Hamtaro gave Bijou a while back started to glow. When the light died down, a beautiful blue gem was encrusted in the ring. "That wasn't there before, was it?"

"No, I don't think so," Hamtaro shook his head as he looked at the ring. "Does this mean…?"

"Oui! Yes! I will marry you!" Bijou nodded and gave Hamtaro a big kiss on the lips.

Meanwhile, Dexter and Pashmina were sitting under a tall oak tree, enjoying the shade and the breeze. Dexter also had an important question to ask Pashmina, much like Hamtaro did with Bijou. Unfortunately, Dexter was not as confident as Hamtaro, so getting the nerve to ask would be difficult. A question with importance of such magnitude could make or break a serious relationship. Dexter had waited so long and tried so hard to be Pashmina's boyfriend. He simply could not ruin this for himself. But what if he never asked and Pashmina was waiting for him to propose?

"P-Pashmina…?" Dexter started to ask.

"Yes, Dexter?" Pashmina replied sweetly. She was so beautiful!

"I, um, I, well, you see, uh…" Dexter was tripping and stumbling over his own words.

"Yes?" Pashmina awaited Dexter's commentary.

"Will you marry me?!" Dexter blurted out loudly, and then covered his mouth with his paws and blushed.

"…" Dexter felt his heart race as Pashmina said nothing. Then, the scarf-adoring hamster smiled at her boyfriend.

"Pashmina…?" Dexter said her name nervously. Was this the end of their relationship? Could be? No, no, no! Dexter did not want that relationship to end there. It couldn't end! It just could not end!

"Dexter, I couldn't ask for a better Ham-Ham to come into my life! Of course I will marry you!" Pashmina giggled and replied sincerely. Dexter was about to take a breath of relief when Pashmina's ring glowed with a pink light. The light died down and her ring was imbued with a pink crystal.

"That's peculiar," Dexter said as he examined the ring on Pashmina's finger.

"It's so pretty!" Pashmina admired the new jewel.

Meanwhile, Sandy and Maxwell were sitting at the water's edge of a lake. It was very quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. Both of them were lying down on the grass. Maxwell turned his head towards Sandy, who was fixated on the clouds above. He gave her a gentle nudge. She turned her head to him and asked, "What is it, Maxie?"

"Well, you see, I think it's about time I asked you something very important," Maxwell explained to her.

"Oh! You must want to ask me about that bad dream I had where I got my eye gouged out!" Sandy exclaimed in false realization.

"N-no, not at all. You had a dream about what?" Maxwell shook his head.

"Never mind. Continue," Sandy urged.

"Okay then…anyways, I wanted to ask you to make a life-changing decision. Sandy, will you marry me?" Maxwell asked. To his surprise, Sandy started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, but if I don't laugh, I'll cry!" Sandy laughed hysterically. She finally calmed down after about five minutes of non-stop laughing. She blushed and apologized. "Sorry, Maxwell."

"That's okay…" Maxwell sighed, still awaiting her answer to his question. "Um, Sandy, do you need time to think about this? You can always come back to me whenever you're ready."

"No, no, I don't need time! I know the answer already," Sandy informed him and her ring glowed orange. Like Pashmina and Bijou's rings, the light died down and in the ring was a sparkly new gem, but instead of being blue or pink, it was orange. "Maxwell, I love you. I feel like you are closer to me than Stan is, and he and I were born together! So, my answer is yes. I will, like, marry the heck out of you if you want."

"Please do," Maxwell hugged his tiger-striped girlfriend. "Now, about that bad dream you had…"

"Don't, like, ruin the moment, Maxie," Sandy interrupted him.

"Okay," Maxwell replied.

Later, the three new fiancées met at the clubhouse, each with exciting news to divulge. Simultaneously, the trio of female Ham-Hams exclaimed, "OH, MY GOSH! YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE IT! HE PROPOSED TO ME! EEE!"

"KEEP IT DOWN!" Snoozer shouted in his sleep.

"Sorry," Pashmina apologized in whisper. Bijou apologized in French and Sandy nodded in agreement.


	10. Planning

**I'm sorry about how short this chapter is. Anyways, the girls are so giddy about their upcoming marriages and start planning. Sandy knows who she wants to give her away. Who will she choose? I think you know, but please read anyways. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10: Planning**

The three fiancées were more than excited for their wedding(s). So excited, in fact that they started visualizing what they wanted their wedding to be like. Bijou gasped with delight as she had struck an idea. She exclaimed, "I've got it! How about we all get married at the same time?"

"That's a pretty good idea, Bijou!" Pashmina commended Bijou for her creative thinking.

"Yeah! Like, we're all close enough to each other to do that!" Sandy nodded in agreement. "I'm going to go ask my brother to give me away at the wedding!"

"Give you away?" Pashmina and Bijou tilted their heads quizzically.

"Yeah. That's when a relative of the bride, like, walks her down the aisle to her groom-to-be! It's, like, so emotional and romantic!" Sandy explained, swooning at the thought of Stan walking her down the aisle to her beloved Maxwell.

"I don't think there are enough of us girl-hams to have a full bridal party, so how about each of us just picks a maid of honor?" Pashmina suggested.

"Let's see…" Sandy started doing math in her head and repeating it out loud. "Counting us, there are, like, six girls in the clubhouse—well, seven if we include Flora—and there are one, two, three, four, five—a lot of guys."

"Well, I think we all know who my maid of honor is going to be!" Pashmina giggled with a bright and warm smile.

"Penelope's all yours," Sandy assured.

"I thought Penelope would be the flower girl," Bijou said.

"Not all weddings have to have a flower girl. Maybe tumbleweeds," Sandy suggested.

"Tumbleweeds?" Pashmina and Bijou looked at Sandy like she was nuts.

"What? I, like, thought it'd be cool to have a western style wedding," Sandy openly stated.

"We can discuss the theme of the wedding later. Now who will marry us?" Bijou asked.

"Our fiancés. Duh," Sandy pointed out, misinterpreting Bijou's question.

"No, that is not what I mean. Who will be performing the ceremony?" Bijou reiterated.

"I hadn't thought about that. Hmm…" Pashmina realized that Bijou had a very good point. "Hey, I know! We'll ask Harmony to do it! Love in general is her specialty!"

"Hey, yeah! That's a great idea!" Sandy and Bijou seemed to have no objections. It was going to be difficult, but each of them was determined to have an amazing wedding.

"I should go find Stan. Later," Sandy bid her friends farewell and bolted away to find her brother.

"Who should give us away?" Pashmina asked Bijou.

"I don't know. I thought I would ask Boss," Bijou shrugged. "What about you? Are you asking someone to give you away?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I haven't really thought about it," Pashmina shrugged and looked away, not really looking at anything in particular.

Meanwhile, Sandy had finally found Stan taking a nap under a huge oak tree. She was very boisterous in single successful attempt to wake him. "STAN, WAKE UP! YOUR BABY SISTER'S GETTING MARRIED!"

"WAAAH!" Stan screamed and fell over. "Sandy?! What the heck, girl?! That was the coolest dream I ever had! You owe me."

"Sorry about your dream, bro, but mine are, like, coming true! Maxwell asked me to marry him!" Sandy squealed excitedly. She bounced on the balls of her feet—err, paws.

"Well, what did you say?" Stan asked his sister.

"What do you think I said? I said yes!" Sandy answered, finding her brother's question utterly ridiculous. "Do you want to, like, check out my ring?"

Stan took a look at his sister's paw. "Sandy, the only ring I see here is the ring he gave you a while back—hey, there's a gem in it! How'd that get there?"

"I honestly have, like, no idea," Sandy shrugged, hugged her brother, and loudly squealed in his ear. Then, she popped the question. "Will you…please give me away?"

"What? I can't hear you! You shattered my eardrum with your squealing!" Stan informed her loudly.

"WILL YOU GIVE ME AWAY AT THE WEDDING?!" Sandy screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Oh, sure," Stan nodded with his voice at a normal volume and smiled.

"I'm sorry I hurt your ears," Sandy apologized.

"Oh, don't be silly!" Stan smiled. Sandy smiled back until her brother said, "I'm Bat Ham!"

"Well, I think I know what your dream was about," Sandy muttered and started to walk away.

"Yo, sis!" Stan called after her. She whirled around and he said to her, "Congrats, Sandy. I'm so happy for you." Sandy smiled, darted back to Stan, and hugged him. He hugged her back.


End file.
